Air handling apparatus



O t- 8, 1955 R. N. BROOKINS AIR HANDLING"APPARATUS Filed March 10, 1952 /M S a if, a a rvm a wan G 0 m r y ZVZ a United States Patent Ofiice 2,729,82ii iatented Oct. 18, 1955 AIR HANDLING APPARATUS Richard N. Brookins, South Gate, Calif., assignor to Essick Manufacturing Company, Los Augeles, Calif., a corporation of California Application March 10, 1952, Serial No. 275,765 3 Claims. (Cl. 98-94) This invention relates to air conditioning apparatus and is more particularly concerned with air handling apparatus for cooling and supplying air to the interior of a room or other compartment.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide apparatus of extremely effective means for mounting an air cooler, or the like, at a window opening or" a building structure. More particularly, this invention is concerned with the adaptation of apparatus to double-hung windows which are characterized by upper and lower sliding sash elements.

It is an object of this invention to provide a practical and dependable apparatus which is universally adaptable to windows of building structures. More particularly, the invention is concerned with the mounting of apparatus of the character described at or in connection with doublehung or sliding sash windows.

Another object of this invention is to provide apparatus of the character referred to in which the cooler is engaged or hung at the window opening in such manner that the window sashes are free to be operated in the usual and normal manner and without any intereference whatsoever. The structure provided terminates outside the path or plane of the sash members so that either or both of them are operable in the manner originally intended.

Another object of this invention is to provide a simple rigid adapter and anchoring means for an evaporative cooler, or the like, whereby the cooler is positively secured to the building structure.

It is an object of this invention to provide sealing means between the adapter and sash of the window providing for free independent movement of the sash relative to the adapter.

Another object of this invention is to provide a structure that allows for free independent movement of the sash members so that the sashes, or one of them, may be used as a damper for controlling the flow of air from the air handling means included in the apparatus.

Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus or cooler of the character described that is simple and inexpensive of manufacture and that is very readily adaptable to a building structure.

The present invention is primarily concerned with air conditioning apparatus known as evaporative coolers which serve to supply cool air to rooms of building structures and is particularly concerned with the type of cooler that is positioned or adapted to be mounted at the outer side of the structure and in communication with the interior of the structure through a window opening.

The apparatus involves, generally, a box-like housing and air handling means in the housing. The air handling means involves a motor driven blower that draws air in through louvered openings in the walls of the housing and forces it out through a delivery opening at the upper portion of one side of the housing. Cooling or air conditioning means is provided which involves suitable evaporative pads, or the like, that are supplied with water. An

the character referred to embodying f adapter or duct projects from the upper portion of the housing at one side thereof and is connected to an anchor or cleat which is secured to the building structure. The cleat is engaged with and is preferably secured to the sill of the window, and is located adjacent the plane of the outer sash. The adapter is in the nature of a duct or air handling tube having a flange at its outer or terminal end. The flange is secured to the cleat so that the structure is supported by the building structure and so that the terminal end of the adapter is adjacent to but out of the plane of the sashes of the window. Flat vertically disposed closure plates are provided between the sides of the adapter and the sides of the window opening shutting off the space unoccupied by the adapter. These plates are preferably fastened to frame parts of the window and to flanges at the sides of the adapter duct. A sealing means prevents leakage between the upper edges of the adapter and closure plates and the sash of the window. The sealing means involves a header that extends between the sides of the window opening and which is preferably secured to the upper edges of the adapter and closure plates. The header is provided with a seat portion which carries a flexible sealing member. A retainer clamps the sealing member to the seat, and the sealing member projects laterally and horizontally from the header to engage with and wipe the sash element of the window. Brackets are provided for adjusting the apparatus and for supporting it relative to the window opening to which it is adapted.

The various objects and features of the invention Will be fully understood from the following detailed description of a typical preferred form and application of the invention, throughout which description reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a wall of a building structure showing the apparatus provided by the present invention applied thereto and in elevation. Fig. 2 is a plan sectional view taken as indicated by line 2-2 on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken as indicated by line 33 on Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 being a view taken as indicated by line 4-4 on Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailed sectional view taken as indicated by line 55 on Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detailed sectional view taken as indicated by line 66 on Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is an enlarged detailed sectional View taken as indicated by line 7--7 on Fig. 4. Fig. 8 is an enlarged detailed sectional view taken as indicated by line 88 on Fig. 4, and Fig. 9 is a plan sectional view showing the manner in which the sealing means provided by the present invention operates to seal against both the pane and the frame of the sash.

The apparatus of the invention may be employed or installed in situations varying greatly in character. In the drawings there is shown a typical situation or installation where the device is installed at the window of a building structure to deliver cool or conditioned air to the interior of the structure. As shown in the drawings, the device is particularly adaptable to a window of the double-hung type. However, the device is not necessarily limited to use with this type of window construction. It will be readily apparent that the structure is equally adaptable to other windows, for example, a casement type window where the sashes swing inwardly.

The building structure illustrated involves, generally, a wall 10, a window opening 11 and sash elements 12 and 13. The window opening is established by a sash frame 14 which includes a head or horizontal top member 15, a sill or bottom member 16 and vertical casings or side members 17. The head and sill are spaced apart vertically and the casings are spaced apart horizontally so that a window opening of suitable dimensions is established. In the case of a double-hung window construction the casing at each side of the window opening 11 has 7 inside, outside and parting beads or ribs .20, .21 and 22,-

respectively. These ribs are spaced apart laterally and extend vertically and longitudinally of the casings, and

they establish inner and outer channels in the casings at the vertical opposed sides of the window opening.

- The sash element 12 which is normally uppermost is 1 shown carried in the outer channel established by the beads 21 and 22, and the, other or lower sash element 13 is shown carried in the inner channel established by the beads and 22. Each sash element is of ordinary or conventional construction and involves horizontal rail parts -24,.vertical styles and a'pane of glass 26. The rails an'dstylesare related and assembled so that a rectangular' frame-like structure is formed having vertical side edges 27 which are slidably engaged in the channels established by the beads 20, ,21 and 22. i

The apparatus' of the present invention is particularly adaptable to a window as above described and involves,

generally, air handling apparatus including a housingA, air handling means B operable to move air through'the housing, air conditioning means C, an adapter D engage- V V able with the building structure to support the'appa'ratus and 'connect it with the window of the structure, closure plates E to close the opening unoccupied by the adapter,

sealing means F to seal between the adapter and the sash, and bracketsG to support and adjust the housing from 1 the wallet the building structure.

I The housing A is a simple box-like element and involves flat horizontally disposed top and bottom panels 30 and 31, and vertically disposed side panels 32 extending between and joining the panels 30 and 31. The top and bottom panels are shown as imperforate while the side panels are shown as louvered. By providing the V louvers 33 in the side'pa nels air is allowed to circulate into the housing.

The air handling means B is confined within the housing A and is operable to circulate the air through the housing so thatconditioned air is delivered to the interior of the building structure from the exterior thereof. Means B is shown as involving a blower 35 preferably of the centrifugal type. A motor 36 is provided for driving the blower and a suitable drive connection 37 is provided between the motor and the blower. Power for the motor is shown supplied through a power line 38 controlled by a switch 38 V The air conditioning means C as shown in thedraw- 'ings may bea cooling means involving evaporative pads 39 arranged so "that air circulating into the housing is passed through the pads. The pads are shown :vertically disposed at the sides of the housing and within the housing so that the air coming in through the louvers 33 passes through the pads in order to reach the air handling means 3. For a more detailed description of .a typical air conditioning means, reference may be made to the patent to Ess'ick, No. 2,391,558, entitled Pad .for Evaporative Coolers issued DecemberlS, 1945.

The adapter ZD projects from .the housing A at the upper portion lof the inner side thereof and is engageable with the building structure to support the housing and "connect it with the wall of the structure at the window opening. The adapter D involves primarily a duct'40 in outer channel travels. .In practice the cleatjs made somewhat longer than the width of the duct 40 but substantially shorter than the width of the window opening 'so that it isapplicable to anyfordinarywindow opening which avoids the necessity of shortening it. i

The flange 44 on the terminal end of the duct is engaged with the flange .53 of thecleat and is secured thereto by suitable screw fasteners 54. Through this connection of the flange to the cleat and of the cleat to the sill, the apparatus is secured tolthe building structure so that the adapter terminates outside of the pathsof the sash elements.

The closure plates E are provided at the sides of the adapter duct 40 there being one :plate at each sidexof the duct. Each plate Eis .a flat vertically disposed panel and is engageable between the casing 17 and the side ofthe duct. The plate closes 01f the opening unoccupied by the duct, and in the preferred form of the'invention the plate j extends vertically from the sill to the top of the flange '45 f on the duct. The plates E are in effect continuations of the flanges at the terminal end of the duct, and the inner.

vertical edges of the plates are secured to the side flanges 46 by suitable-screw fasteners 56, or the like. The lower edge 57 of the plate is secured to the cleat 50 by suitable'screw fasteners 58, or'the like. 'tical edge'of each closure plate is provided with a flange which is secured to the window opening by suitable fasteners 61. e The flanges 60 are preferably secured to the outer beads 21 of the sash frame. in practice the plates E arefurnished longer than necessary and may be trimmed toflt the opening as desired.

The'sealing means F seals between the duct and the sash. In the preferred form of the invention the sealing means is at the terminal end of the duct and preferably seals against the lower inner sash 13. Means F is of such construction that it effectively. seals against the pane of the sash as well as the rails and the styles of the sash regardless of the position 0' supporting channels. The sealing means involves generally a header 65, a sealing member 66 carried by the header, and a retainer 6.7 clamping the sealing member onto theheader. I

The header'65 is preferably secured .to the end of the duct 40 and extends continuously between the casings I7.

and has ends 70 entering into the outer channel in the casing. portion'71 extending continuously between its ends.

Mounting means 72 is provided for securing the header to duct '40. The means 72 involves a'fiange 73 depending from the outer edge of the header which flange communication with the outlet of the air handling means B which duct extends horizontally from the upper por-' tion of the housing. The duct 40 is preferably rectangular in cross-sectional configuration and has flat top and "bottom parts 41 and 42, and flat sides .43. The parts 41, 42 and 43 are provided at the terminal 'end of the adapter'with outwardly turned flanges, there being a flange '44projecting downwardly from the bottom part 42, a flange 45 projecting upwardly frornthe top .part

' 41, and flanges 46 projecting laterally from the sides 43.

A cleat or anchor member 50 .is providedin connection with the adapter D, the cleat being engageable with and preferably secured to the sill 16. As shown, the cleat Stl has a substantially horizontal flange part 51 secured to 'is-continuous between the ends of the header. .Flange 73 is secured to the upper flange 45 on the terminal end of the duct and to the upper edge portions of the plates E by suitable'screw fasteners'74. In the preferred form of the invention the header is provided with an extension 75. The extension has a depending flange 76 spaced from flange 73 and defining a channel. The flange 45 and plates E are confined withinthe channel so that they are properly guided and aligned relative'to the header.

The sealingmember-66 .is an element coextensive with the header. The member 66 is preferably flexible and is carried on the seat '71. The sealing member has a free lip part 73 that projects laterally and substantially horizontally from the inner edge of the header and contacts the outwardly faced parts of the sash to seal therewith. As shown in Fig. '9 of the drawings, the lip 78 is slit at 79 which the pane of the sash joinswith the style of the sash dividing it into a plurality 0t relatively The outer ver f the sash vertically :in the The header has .a flat horizontally disposed seat;

movable or independently working sections. There is a middle section X that engages the pane 26 and end sections Y that engage the styles 25. It will be understood from Fig. 9 and also from Figs. 7 and 8 how the independently movable sections of the lip will operate separately and not be affected by one another. It will also be understood how the center middle section X of the lip Will seal with either the rail or the pane of the sash. In Fig. 4, the lip is shown sealing with the rails and sealing with the pane.

The retainer 67 is a clamp element and is coextensive with the header and has a body portion 80 secured to the header as by electric welding, or the like, and a jaw 81 carried by the body and acting to grip the flexible sealing member 66. The jaw has a downwardly faced gripping part 82 spaced from the seat on the header and compressing the sealing member from the top thereof to hold it securely against the seat. The sealing member in its original form may be flat, and as shown, the jaw 81 by compressing it from the top causes the outer lip 78 to be deflected somewhat upwardly.

As shown in the drawings, a substantial portion of the housing depends below the duct. The bracket G acts to support the lower end of the housing A and is adjustable to suitably position the lower end of the housing relative to the exterior face of the wall. As shown, there are two brackets one at each side of the housing and each involves a screw member 90 threaded into the lower portion of the housing and a pad 91 at the outer end of the screw member. The pad engages the side of the building structure, and as the screw member is turned the lower end of the housing is moved with relation to the wall of the structure. Suitable lock nuts are provided to lock the screw members against rotation From the foregoing description it will be apparent how the apparatus is applied to the building structure and that as a result thereof the sashes existing in that structure are not hampered in any way. The sashes are operable between extreme open and closed positions. The sashes can be used to great advantage as means for damping the flow of air from the air handling means B. As shown, the lower sash element is effective to damp the flow air from the apparatus and at the same time no outside air is allowed to by-pass the apparatus as this is prevented by the sealing means.

Having described only a typical preferred form and application of my invention, I do not wish to be limited or restricted to the specific details herein set forth, but wish to reserve to myself any variations or modifications that may appear to those skilled in the art and fall within the scope of the following claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In combination, a building structure having a vertical wall, a frame in the wall defining an opening through the wall and having a sill at the bottom of the opening and a vertically movable glass carrying sash member in the opening, and an air handling apparatus at the outer side of the wall including, a box-like housing, air handling means in the housing, an adapter projecting laterally and horizontally from the housing with a flat terminal end in a vertical plane and spaced from the housing and adapted to conduct air circulated by the air handling means, an anchor secured to the sill adjacent to and outside the plane of the sash member and fastened to the adapter to support the housing from the structure with including, a box-like housing,

the terminal end of the adapter adjacent to and outward of the plane of the sash member, and a sealing means at the terminal end of the adapter including, a header extending horizontally across the opening from one side to the other thereof, a flexible lip carried by the header and projecting inwardly therefrom and adapted to engage and seal against the glass and frame of the sash member to have sealing engagement therewith, and a retainer clamping the lip to the header.

2. In combination, a building structure having a wall, a frame in the wall defining an opening therein and having vertically disposed casing and a horizontally disposed sill, inner and outer channels in the casing, and inner and outer sash members slidably carried in the inner and outer channel respectively, and an air handling apparatus at the outer side of the wall including, a box-like housing, air handling means in the housing, an adapter projecting laterally and horizontally from the housing with a flat terminal end spaced from the housing and adapted to conduct air circulated by the air handling means, closure plates extending laterally from the terminal end of the adapter and engaging with the casing adjacent to and outside the plane of the outer channel and sash member, an anchor secured to the sill adjacent to and outside the plane of the outer channel and sash member and fastened to the adapter to support the housing from the structure with the terminal end of the adapter adjacent to and outside the plane of the outer channel and sash member, and a sealing means at the terminal end of the adapter including, a header extending horizontally between the casings with end portions engaged in the outer channels of the casing, a flexible lip carried by the header and contacting the inner sash member to have sealing engagement therewith, and a retainer clamping the lip to the header.

3. Air handling apparatus for installation on a wall with an opening therein carrying sliding sash members, an adapter duct projecting laterally and horizontally from the housing and having a flat terminal end spaced from the housing, outwardly turned flanges at the terminal end of the duct, an anchor secured to one of said flanges at the lower side of the duct and adapted to be secured to the structure positioning the terminal end of the duct adjacent to and out of the plane of the sash members, and sealing means at the terminal end of the duct secured to one of the said flanges at the upper side of the duct including a header extending across the opening, a horizontally disposed lip adapted to have sealing engagement with one of the sash members, and a retainer clamping the lip to the header, said sealing lip being coextensive with the width of the opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,062,042 Sargent Nov. 24, 1936 2,265,497 Smith Dec. 9, 1941 2,333,374 Guthrie Nov. 2, 1943 2,380,586 Essick July 31, 1945 2,407,858 Whitefield Sept. 17, 1946 2,433,104 Eberhart Dec. 23, 1947 2,559,495 Calkins July 3, 1951 2,608,148 Shapiro Aug. 26, 1952 

